Having had the bizarre coincidence of sitting next to fellow 'FORMITE'skiggy on the plane,one wouldnt expect that kind of coincedence to happen again..well it did.
THE Matahari shopping centre offers foot massages to relieve the pressure of all that shopping...i was relaxing taking advantage of this(while hubby rested at the pub)when who should walk in but skiggy again?they say adelaide is a small place..guess bali is to!
Got the trifecta when skiggy eventually made it to s/s.the one place you would expect to see him..
sammi and suzys was a great experience.Having only heard about it on here i did not know what to expect.
I also did not realise how many of these eskys there were along the beach!!thankfully the directions on here were spot on so found it no probs.
Walking up as complete strangers sammi lined up chairs for us,offered us a drink and complimentary nuts all within seconds..
Suzy came over,introduced herself,asking where we were from etc.was then greeted by fiona from the forum and her hubby as well as Dennisc and family.
Then geri,(what a trooper) arrived equipped with crutches and wheelchair(and Paul!)We then heard of her fall,consequent trip to hospital etc.quite a story,which she has topped up on the forum with her trial of getting home!
All great people,we continued our new found friendship with a trip to Biancos for tea.so great to share experiences and find out a bit of history of the forum..Then we came across ruth who decided we were having a purple circle meeting..............
Have left email open guys,hope to hear from you.
Made it to s/s three times.saw lovely sunsets,had a relaxing drink,made friends,and got manicure,pedicure,massage,sunglasses,sarongs,wallets,watches and wood!!!Also got serenaded by charlie who proudly tells has a spot on utube filmed'live at sammi and suzys'
Many others there all withstories to share with our love of bali the one thing we all had in common!
Caught up with friends i have known since 92 that used to work at the padma restaurant. but have moved on since.
Jerry,was so good to see him,the last time being 4 years ago.we hired him twice for full days to be our driver.
the first we went to ubud,batik making,silverworks,shops,the zoo and took him to lunch.A while ago there was a bit of a debate on here about what is fare to pay..I Think people were agreeing on 350 000?I Agree with the suggestion it is what is fair for both.jerry,pays to get the car from a friend and paid parking etc.we were comfortable paying him 500 000.as well as for his lunch.
The zoo was good.Although disappointed missed out on holding the tiger cub.If go again think i will go for the night time experience.
Fed the lions which was a buzz.it was there feeding time.25 000 to hold a stick and watch them climb the cage to get.as we were the only ones around,we got to feed them around 7 pieces.the power you could feel from them as they launched at the meat was amazing.
had my photo put on a cup of me with a bird on my shoulder and holding a huge iguana(hubby wouldnt do it!)50 000
Also lovely man there hand painting eggs,both fibreglass(easier to get home) and real ones.great gifts for the mums.
Next trip with jerry was to kintamani .have been there before but its always breath taking to see.The hawkers there can be a bit scary when they all charge you at once,but great prices.
We had lunch at restaurant outside overlooking the volcano.fabulous!paid for jerry as well.all you can eat buffet 100 000rp each
Went to some quilt places as well,didnt seem to be as much as last time i looked or perhaps more elsewhere?
Another day we went on the ocean rafing cruise.Had only done bali hai before ,hoped i wouldnt regret not doing it again..It was great.
The boat?(hubby describes as a zodiac-I called the big rubber dinghy thingy!)travels at 75kph at top speed.
Took us for a tour of three different islands,viewed 300 metre cliffs,saw fishermen climbing up and down(literally on the side of the cliff!)to catch a fish.had to see it to believe it.
Also had snorkelling on offer,trip in semi submersible submarine(loved that)visit to seaweed village.bbq lunch on the boat,then over to lembongan island for swimming,banana boat rides and cocktails..great
Interestingly when we booked trip on street were told that we had old brochure and was dearer now(Quote in usd)we said we were not paying the new price,they followed us and offered us deal, cheaper than the one on our brochure!$90 australian.
Also did sunset cruise.lovely,fun crowd,fun cabaret style entertainment.Also had balinese musclemen....girls that was worth the trip!!!
priceless moments:Hubby not knowing how to handle the 'girls' at hula cafe:
Watching 25 Balinese plant a tree outside of the Febris Hotel.this had everyone riveted.their teamwork and patience was incredible.the tree was huge and involved ropes,blocks ladders a truck and balinese ingenuity .got a cheer for their effort after an hour of toil!
Skiggy sitting next to us on the plane,what are the chances?
Skiggy in the massage place,twice?come on!
Husband getting educated by balinese friends on how to do 'one arm jiggy jig' after they all had shoulder injuries.complete with actions!
The smart alec pilot on the flight home.'ladies and gentleman as we head into adelaide it is a delightful 28 degrees' murmers among the passengers of 'what the?'pilot' oh,sorry,thats right your home now,only jokin,it's 10 degree and raining' HA HA.
Unfortunately it wasnt so funny when after a long....depressing flight he announced,'ladies and gentleman we have a passenger on board who is feeling unwell.....we need you yo bear with us.
Waiting for the blue coats to embark with their masks on to escort the passenger off...........
Still feel fine!!
Think thats it from me!!!